Post by Keith on Aug 15, 2019 6:53:07 GMT -6

Tens of thousands rally in Yemen's Aden to support separatist takeover

ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied in Aden on Thursday in support of separatist forces who took over the southern port, the temporary seat of Yemen’s Saudi-backed government, in a move that exposed rifts in a Sunni Muslim military coalition.

The United Arab Emirates-backed southern separatists seized control of government military bases last weekend, fracturing the Saudi-led alliance battling the Iran-aligned Houthi group and complicating U.N. peace efforts to end the war.

Demonstrators demanded recognition of southerners’ right to self-rule in Aden, where the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi is based after being ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.

Post by Duck on Aug 15, 2019 6:57:25 GMT -6

President Donald Trump signaled Wednesday he was willing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping to deal with the ongoing protests in Hong Kong. “I know President Xi of China very well. He is a great leader who very much has the respect of his people,” Trump said, flattering the Chinese leader on Twitter. “He is also a good man in a ‘tough business.'”

Trump said that President Xi could easily solve the problem “quickly and humanely” without violence as Chinese forces gather at the Hong Kong border. “I have ZERO doubt that if President Xi wants to quickly and humanely solve the Hong Kong problem, he can do it,” Trump wrote. “Personal meeting?”

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:06:41 GMT -6

In the first major shakeup to the lineup, Elizabeth Warren moves ahead of Bernie Sanders to claim second place behind Joe Biden in the Democratic nomination race. In addition, primary voters sharply divide between embracing former President Obama’s legacy and taking a new path.

A new Fox News Poll finds Biden continues to lead the nomination race with the support of 31 percent of Democratic primary voters. Next is Elizabeth Warren at 20 percent, Bernie Sanders at 10 percent, and Kamala Harris at 8 percent.

Warren’s move up came in steady steps. From March to May she gained 5 points, then 3 more in July, and 8 more in August -- for a total 16 percentage-point increase.

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:07:15 GMT -6

Thirteen U.S. states sue over new rule to limit legal immigration

(Reuters) - A coalition of 13 U.S. states sued President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday, seeking to block a new rule that would drastically reduce legal immigration by denying visas to poor migrants.

Some experts say the rule could cut legal immigration in half by denying visas and permanent residency to hundreds of thousands of people if they fail to meet high enough income standards or if they receive public assistance such as welfare, food stamps, public housing or Medicaid.

“The Trump Administration’s message is clear: if you’re wealthy you’re welcome, if you’re poor, you’re not,” Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement. “This rule is un-American, anti-immigrant and unlawful.”

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:07:50 GMT -6

Iran denies commitments in exchange for tanker release

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has made no commitments to gain the release of its tanker from detention in Gibraltar, an Iranian government spokesman was quoted as saying on Friday, reiterating that Grace 1 was never bound for Syria as alleged by its captors.

Fabian Picardo, chief minister for the British territory, said the detention order was lifted after written assurances from Tehran that the ship would not discharge oil in Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.

“Iran has made no commitment for the release of the Grace 1 tanker. As we said earlier ... Syria was not its destination and we have upheld the same ... and reiterated that it was nobody’s business even if it was Syria,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:08:20 GMT -6

Gibraltar decides to free seized Iranian tanker; U.S. seeks to hold it

LONDON/GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - Britain’s Mediterranean territory Gibraltar decided on Thursday to free a seized Iranian oil tanker, but did not immediately indicate when or if the ship would set sail after the United States launched a new, last-minute legal bid to hold it.

The Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marine commandos in darkness off the coast of the territory at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran.

Two weeks later, Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz leading into the Gulf.

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:09:02 GMT -6

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi urges Israel to reverse decision to block lawmakers' visit

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday Israel’s decision to block a visit to the country by Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib was “deeply disappointing” and called on it to reverse the move.

“Israel’s denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great state of Israel,” Pelosi said. The two lawmakers have backed the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 7:09:43 GMT -6

Israel’s interior minister has approved a humanitarian request from Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to visit the West Bank just hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., were barred from entering this weekend due to their support of an anti-Israel boycott movement.

In a letter sent to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, Tlaib requested being able to visit her Palestinian grandmother who lives in the West Bank, according to the Jerusalem Post.

“This could be my last opportunity to see her,” Tlaib wrote of her grandmother, who is in her 90s. “I will respect any restrictions and I will not promote any boycotts against Israel during my visit.”

Post by Duck on Aug 16, 2019 7:33:34 GMT -6

WSJ: Israel and UAE hold secret talks set up by Washington

The Wall Street Journal reports two secret meetings between Israel and the United Arab Emirates – one in April and the second not long ago. They were arranged by the US for the sharing of information and coordinated efforts to counter the increasing threat posed by Iran. Both meetings were chaired by Brian Hook, US State Department Undersecretary responsible for Iran and US sanctions policy. The WSJ notes that the UAE has recently opened back-channels to Tehran for secret diplomacy. DEBKAfile first revealed the Emiratis’ policy switch on Aug. 2. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz recently paid a visit to Abu Dhabi.

Post by Duck on Aug 16, 2019 7:36:53 GMT -6

China warns it could quell Hong Kong protesters

Hong Kong braced for more mass protests over the weekend, even as China warned it could use its power to quell demonstrations and U.S. President Donald Trump urged his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to meet with the protesters to defuse weeks of tensions.

Hundreds of China's People's Armed Police (PAP) on Thursday conducted exercises at a sports stadium in Shenzhen that borders Hong Kong a day after the U.S. State Department said it was "deeply concerned" about the movements, which have prompted worries that the troops could be used to break up protests. Trump told reporters on Thursday he did not want to see a resort to violence to quell the protests in Hong Kong and reiterated that he wanted to see China "humanely solve the problem."

Post by Keith on Aug 16, 2019 8:03:51 GMT -6

Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., indicated Friday that she will not travel to the West Bank to visit family, despite getting permission hours before from Israel’s interior minister -- following a diplomatic firestorm over the government's earlier refusal to allow her and a colleague entry as part of a broader visit.

"I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression & injustice," she tweeted.

This was an apparent reference to Tlaib's earlier pledge not to promote boycotts of Israel during her visit.